KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has today accused the judiciary today of being “enslaved” by certain parties in order to sideline and belittle Islamic teachings, amid a constitutional challenge of several Kelantan Shariah provisions.
The president of the Islamist party PAS claimed that supporting such a move is considered “haram” or forbidden in Islam, and it is an obligation for adherents to oppose it.
“Now, there are some who are making slaves of the judiciary and the courts to sideline the codes of Allah, and to belittle it. Therefore, it is haram for Muslims to support this and it is fardhu 'ain for Muslims to oppose it,” he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.
“Fardhu ‘ain” refers to obligatory acts that must be performed by each individual Muslim, rather than observing it as a community. These usually include pillars of faith such as prayers and fasting, but can also include charity and for some ensuring compliance with the Islamic code.
“PAS will not let this extreme action continue, together with other Islamic NGOs and Malay rulers who are responsible in front of Allah when they were appointed to be guardians of the religion,” he added.
This comes as two Muslim women are challenging the constitutionality of 20 Shariah offences under the Kelantan state law, arguing that the state legislative assembly did not have the powers to create these provisions in a state law, as it is the federal government instead which holds the powers under the Federal Constitution to make laws on such crimes.
Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat has since emphasised in the Federal Court that there was no dispute arising over Islam as the official religion of the Federation in the hearing
Several civil groups have also explained that all laws, including state Shariah laws, are subjected to the same law-making process — following claims that Islam is under threat by a recent review of Kelantan’s provisions.
In the lengthy post, Hadi had attacked Umno by claiming that the Malay nationalist party has become the latest stooge of DAP after Parti Amanah Negara — itself a splinter of PAS.
He claimed that Umno has now gone astray from its original struggle to defend Islam, the Malays and the nation, allegedly causing many members to leave the party and some joining either Perikatan Nasional or Muafakat Nasional.
“The remarks of several Umno top leaders that try to defend DAP showed that there is an exercise to transform Umno into the latest member in DAP's Gurkha squad,” he said.
He had earlier also accused Amanah of being DAP's Gurkha, in reference to soldiers mostly from Nepal who were recruited to fight for the colonial British and Indian army.
“This has caused these leaders to hold campaigns exhorting the need for Umno to ally itself with DAP, with the excuse that the latter has accepted Islam to be part of the Federal Constitution, along with the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputera,” he added.
Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said DAP has given its commitment that the party will always respect Islam as the religion of the federation as enshrined in the Constitution.
